Community raising money to build new home for elderly Cataula woman after house fire

Mahaley Lowe lived in her Cataula home on Chambliss Circle for all of her life and battled lung disease since the age of three years old while also enduring peripheral vascular disease.

Her family says she never imagined she would see her home go up in flames Sunday night. Her niece was right next door when it happened.

“I said oh crap! My aunt’s house is on fire, my aunt’s house is on fire,” says Janice West.

That’s when she says she called fire crews who battled the blaze all night. Fire crews say they don't know the cause of the fire, but it left Ms. Lowe without a place to call home.

“Growing up in this area for 79 to 80 years is what she knew. They say there’s no place like home and for her, there was no place like home because it’s all that she knew.”

Her family says that she never wanted to leave the house despite the condition it was in. There was a large leak in the ceiling, cabinets falling in, and windows damaged. The local community is now stepping in to raise money to help her get a new home in the same place. It’s a mission they say is still going strong.

“As far as cash goes, we have $15,166 dollars and we have some contractors who are going to donate their time and materials. We would love to get her in the house by her birthday,” says Vicky Collins, who is one of the organizers helping raise the money.

Her birthday is in April and the organization is raising money in a GoFundMe account.

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